We are coming to the end of National Science Week. Have you done anything to mark it? As a family, we watched the RTE programme ‘What Planet Are You On?’. It was brilliant. Very inspiring ...
It’s the time of year again when people start wondering what Santa might bring in their stockings. Santa’s elves have been busy already purchasing some really fun and inexpensive toys for ...
This week I’m highlighting some of the toys I sell that cost exactly €20. This has been inspired by the Ma’s on a Mission Christmas Toy Appeal. I’m not sure if you have seen their po ...
Some of you may be dab hands and veterans at filling Team Hope Shoe Boxes but for those who aren’t and for those who just like getting some ideas, I thought I’d write this blog. When you d ...
A lot of children love jigsaw puzzles and this should be encouraged as there are so many benefits to playing jigsaw puzzles for 3 – 5 year olds (and even older!) Here’s the main ones. Deve ...
I’ve been asked to attend a local parent and toddler group run by @Greystonesmomma and share about developmental toys for babies and toddlers. I feel slightly overwhelmed at the idea as I feel I ...
It’s the National Ploughing Championships week when lots of boys and girls around Ireland get a renewed interest in farming. Of course, there are lots that are consistent in their love of farmin ...
Now that the children are back in school and the evenings are getting dark earlier, it’s time to take out the Board Games and have some fun as a family. Here are 10 Family Board Games which are ...
I’m a huge fan of card games – they are great fun, they usually make me think and they are easy to carry around and produce at airports, coffee shops or just to take out and play with the ...
When I went to school, fidgeting was frowned upon and punished. However, over the past 30+ years, attitudes have changed and it is now understood that some children need to fidget to help them sit sti ...
I love how creative this age group are and I love that when they reach this age, they need less adult guidance to make masterpieces that they are proud of! Arts and Craft activities for this age are v ...
I can’t believe that we are already in August! The summer holidays are really flying by and my children are constantly asking me when they can buy their stationery for the next school year! Pers ...
As you are probably aware, I did a whole series of gift idea blogs for certain ages earlier this year. I stopped at age 10 but have since had a request to do one for 11 and 12 year olds. So, here are ...
Game Review: Bingo Last month we went on holidays and one of the evenings we attended a Bingo night. To say that the children enjoyed it would be an understatement! They loved searching their cards fo ...
When I was a child, I remember going to the bank regularly with my mum. She would queue and I would play with the wooden dollhouse or watch the fish in the fish tank. Now, if I bring my kids, they can ...
Children these days (including my own) have a lot of toys and not all of us live in massive houses. I love having an ‘organised’ house where I don’t have to see everything but when someone asks me to ...
I find that over the summer, I have more time to spend with my children doing things we like. Often this is outside but on rainy or cold days, we play games or make things together. Both my children l ...
Yippee, the school holidays have finally arrived. My kids finished up on Wednesday and we’ve had a great start to the holidays. I usually buy in a few bits at the beginning of the school holiday ...
It can be so hard to separate older children from computer games and the tv screen and with Summer approaching, maybe it’s time to invest in a few outdoor toys that will tempt them outdoors! Las ...
Summer is officially here, despite the weather jumping back and forth. Even with the showers and occasional cold day, my children are out playing in our garden or on our road at every opportunity and ...
We were in London recently and were leisurely walking through a famous toy shop. My girls were drawn to a large drum of snow and a sales girl who was showing interested kids and parents how it was mad ...
My last two blogs have been hugely popular, so I’ve decided to follow the theme and do one last blog on travel toys, activities and games. If you missed my blog on ‘Travel Activities for 3 ...
Last week I wrote a blog with ten travel activities to bring for your preschool child on holidays. I promised I’d follow up with some activities/toys/games to bring if you were traveling with ch ...
It’s the time of year again when people start dreaming of a holiday. Traveling with kids can be fun, but some elements can be very stressful and tiring. It’s during these times, that I lik ...
The Easter holidays were drawing to a close. The gorgeous weather that we’d experienced earlier in the week had faded away and the girls were getting antsy playing inside. It was time for a new ...
As kids get older I find it harder to buy gifts for them. Often I find that they just want money or computer games, both of which, I hate giving. Call me old-fashioned, but I love taking time to choos ...
I hope you have enjoyed my blogs with gift ideas for every age. If you’ve missed them, you can catch up here. Today, I’m focusing on nine-year-olds. As children get older, their tastes get more refin ...
Over the past couple of months, I’ve been writing blogs with suggested gifts for certain ages and in today’s blog, I’ll be focusing on gifts for 8-year-olds. All the toys I’ve ...
Do you need to buy a gift for a seven-year-old? Here are ten great gifts that make brilliant birthday presents and which won’t bust the bank! Chalk Bombs – €8 This set comes with 6 differe ...
Following on from my series of gift ideas for specific ages – it’s now time to inspire you with some gift ideas for 6-year-olds. I’ve selected 10 that I’m happy to recommend bu ...
Do you know someone turning 5, that you need to buy a present for? Here are ten ideas to get you started! The Beetle Game (€7.99) The aim of this game is to be the first person to assemble a complete ...
As a child, I remember making ‘stained glass’ out of black card and tissue paper. I was delighted with the outcome but boy, have things improved in 30 years! Last week, I introduced the Me ...
Last Christmas, my seven year old was given a Secret Decoder Game Book and she LOVED it. She hardly put it down over the holidays and had it completed in no time. So, when I spotted that Melissa and D ...
I always think that 4 is a big birthday. In my generation, most children started school when they were four (I know now that many children are 5 starting Primary School) and it started their journey t ...
My previous two blog posts ( 10 Gift Ideas for someone turning 1 and 10 Birthday Present Ideas for a 2-Year-Old) have been very well received, so I thought I’d follow the course and give you som ...
Recently I wrote a blog with Gift Ideas for Babies Turning 1. Lots of parents wrote me messages thanking me for the blog, so I thought I’d follow the course and write one with present ideas for ...
The first year of a baby’s life goes so fast and they change so much in that time. Often it can be hard to know what gift to give a baby who has just turned one. Here are ten gift ideas which I ...
With Christmas getting closer and closer, it’s time for me to post up my opening hours! Orders placed before noon on Thursday 20th December should reach their destination on time for Christmas. ...
Since Christmas is just around the corner and I’m extra busy in work, I have a guest blogger writing today’s post. Umer Ishfaq is a Search Engine and Content Marketing expert at Techvando. ...
Today is #TennerTuesday and I thought I’d show you a gift for every age (up until 12) that costs €10 or less! 0 Year Olds Available in a Bee Design or a Duck Design, these Squeekaboo Toys are pe ...
About a year ago, I brought the Putty Peeps Mixing Lab into stock. I’d previously stocked metallic putty peeps and it proved to be a very good seller for me, so I decided that a kit that allows ...
Abracababra! There’s nothing like a bit of magic to brighten up your day and these days, you can get magic tricks that even children can perform professionally. If you’re looking for somet ...
I love how kids learn and how often they think they are just having fun, while actually, they are subconsciously learning. I think that’s why I love educational toys and games so much. This week ...
It’s not even November and I’m amazed at how many stocking filler toys have been purchased from my shop over the past four weeks. I think Santa is sending his elves shopping early this yea ...
How to fill a Team Hope Shoe Box Every year our family endeavor to fill several shoe boxes for Team Hope. These shoe boxes go to children around the world who won’t be receiving other Christmas ...
It was my daughter’s 7th birthday in August and she received some really lovely gifts, including a Decoupage Made Easy Kit. It was a great gift for her as, when she was younger she loved doing ...
This is Space Week (4th – 11th October) and to do my part, I’ve decided to show off any space-related toys that I stock. Stargazer Lottie is a Lottie Doll that comes with a doll-sized tele ...
Magnets have always been very popular toys and I feel like they are in greater demand than ever. If your child loves thinking scientifically or you just like fun games where the pieces all stay in one ...
Before I stocked L.O.L Dolls, I was under considerable pressure to buy them! The reason being – I have two daughters (aged 7 and 8) and apparently, EVERYONE in school had a least three or four o ...
I’m sure this never happens in your house but in mine, it can be common enough. Kid 1 walks into the playroom where Kid 2 has been playing peacefully for 20 minutes. She kicks over the toys that ...
Dinosaurs are very popular for boys and girls and there are loads of toys to help spark imaginary play and learning. Here are 7 of my favourite dinosaur toys that I stock on my website. 1 The Dinosaur ...
Over the summer holidays, I allowed my girls to choose one toy each which we would review together. Typically, they both choose the same toy! They had been eyeing up the Bottle Sand Art for some month ...
Most people don’t need to be convinced about online shopping, but if you are one of those people who is a reluctant online shopper, take a quick look at these 12 great reasons to shop online, th ...
Day 1 Hi, I’m chicky and I’m a hatching egg toy. Well, actually, I’m a chick in a hatching egg! I’ve arrived with my owner. She can’t see me and I can’t see her, bu ...
I recently received an e-mail asking for toy advice and suggestions for a little boy who was turning 2. The customer wanted to spend €15 or less. Since I put quite a bit of work into the reply, I thou ...
It was a rainy day and the girls were getting bored, which meant they were fighting non-stop. I stopped what I was doing and took a deep breath. This is usually followed with some cross words about ho ...
I don’t know the number of times people have commented to me that they have so many toys and their children are still bored! And usually, I agree, I have the same problem in my house, which I’m workin ...
My niece is three and she spends countless hours playing with food. Thankfully, for her mum’s sake, it’s not the real stuff (she eats that very well!), it’s the wooden variety. Last Christmas we gave ...
We are nearly finished our first week of the school holidays. I always look forward to my children being off school. After all, it means no more rushing in the mornings, having to prepare school lunch ...
This week there is a 10% discount on Djeco Toys and Games, so don’t miss out on a great bargain! Offer ends on Monday 2nd July. Djeco is a French brand of toys and they certainly have an ‘ ...
In April, I wrote a very popular blog on ‘Travel Toys for Pre-School Aged Children‘ and now, with the school holidays looming, I thought I’d write one with older children in mind. So ...
I’m delighted to be able to inform you that Lottie Dolls have added a new doll to their range this month. It’s the Lottie Royal Flowergirl and she was worth the wait! Like all Lottie Dolls ...
The summer holidays are just around the corner now and maybe you’re already thinking that it will allow you extra time to spend with your kid. Perhaps you want to encourage them educationally, o ...
Every month new toys arrive in my stock room and being a working from home mum, my daughters are usually the first to check them out. When these wormeries from My Living World arrived my six-year old ...
The weather is gradually changing for the better, so how can we encourage our kids to spend more time outside? For some, this isn’t a problem but for many parents this is. Toys often help draw k ...
Anyone else have an eight-year-old who acts like she’s 14? Mine spends ages getting ready every day and changes outfits several times before nightfall! So, when she spotted the FabLab Hairlights ...
Last weekend we got our first taste of Summer and wasn’t it lovely? I bet your kids loved going outside and playing. We looked through our box of outdoor toys and gave it a bit of a Spring Clean ...
Oh, how I hate slime! But what I hate more is my kids regular attempts at making their own slime from my flour, sugar, food colouring and other ingredients. It ends up so messy and is slimy for about ...
A good customer sent me this message last week and I thought I’d reply here so that more people can benefit. We have a couple of breaks away planned in May, & must get some travel toys for L ...
Last January, my 6-year-old was eager to spend some of her Christmas money, so I brought her into Dundrum to choose some clothes and one toy. She chose a Teddy in a Tin craft set and I was so impresse ...
Recently there has been a lot of media coverage over some magnetic putty that was purchased on Amazon and which had dangerous levels of arsenic in it. This press coverage has damaged the reputation of ...
I only have two girls, so I know what kinds of toys girls up to the age of 8 generally like, but when it comes to buying birthday presents for boys, I really struggle. I know a lot of the time, boys a ...
I got an Instagram message last week asking what wooden puzzles I had in stock. Since I spent time writing a reply, I thought I’d post it here too, as maybe other people will benefit this way wi ...
I received this e-mail yesterday…. Hi, My daughter got putty for Christmas and loves it. Unfortunately, a pot has been found today overturned on our carpet. How can I best remove this without d ...
Happy New Year! I hope 2018 is a great one for all of you. As with the beginning of every year, I have lots of hopes and resolutions. I thought I’d share some that have worked for me in the past ...
Today’s blog is written by Daniel Sherwin. Daniel is a single dad raising two children. At DadSolo.com, he aims to provide other single dads with information and resources to help them better eq ...
At this time of year, lots of people message me with delivery questions, so I thought I’d publish the most common questions and answers… Will I have my order by Christmas? You can only ord ...
Science toys are hugely popular at the moment. I am not particularly ‘sciency’ but my eight-year-old daughter loves experimenting and making concoctions! When she saw this Ultimate Science ...
This is the time of year when my cheaper range of toys flies out. I call these my pocket money toys or my stocking fillers. Here are my top 10 best selling stocking fillers for 2017…. Flying Gli ...
It’s the time of year when lots of little boys and girls are given play kitchens, but a kitchen is never complete without some kitchenware and food, of which my online shop has a large selection ...
Back in May, I wrote a blog ‘8 Art and Craft Activities for Boys’, so I thought I should follow it up with a similar one for girls. Most arts and crafts suit both boys and girls, however, often the pa ...
Earlier this week, I received a facebook message from a mum who was looking for some present suggestions for her three and a half year old son. She is looking to spend between €10 and €15. Every littl ...
Hi Suzie I need to buy two gifts for relatives in England, which cost about €10 each. They need to be lightweight for posting. I have chosen the Spiro Art for the 9-year-old girl but I’d love so ...
When Lottie Dolls came onto the market, one of the first items my daughters wanted was Seren, the Pony. Since then, we have added to our Lottie collection, but Seren has always had a prominent place i ...
I got this lovely message from a customer today and I thought I’d share my answer here, as I’m sure many of you are asking questions like these at this time of year. “Can you please ...
My daughters received the Lottie, Finn and Friends Treehouse this weekend and the timing couldn’t have been better. With ex-hurricane Ophelia hitting our shores on Monday and the girls being off ...
Late last year, my husband and I watched a Netflix Documentary called ‘The Human Experiment’ which showed how bad chemicals can be in our lives and how they have got into our homes without us thinking ...
All kids have different needs and abilities and some need a lot more focused help and special toys to help them develop skill sets that come naturally to other kids. The interesting thing about some o ...
I received this text yesterday and I thought I’d share my answer, in case more of you are in similar situations. “Hi Suzie. I’m looking for your advice, please. We need to buy a birt ...
I recently had a lovely conversation with my sister-in-law about boys toys and I discovered that she was passionate about gender neutral toys and how some toys are marketed just for girls. After our c ...
What a year it has been! Us, Irish are very bad a boasting about our achievements and I’m finding it hard to write this blog, but, at the same time, I think it’s important to share how far ...
Gross Motor Skills are the movement and coordination of larger body parts like arms and legs. For most children, this comes naturally, but for others, it needs to be encouraged and helped along. Gross ...
Hi there I was looking for something for a baby girl for her christening. I have searched your website but can’t quite see anything. I wanted a special wooden toy or gift but was looking ...
My sister has a 3-year-old son and a 1-year-old daughter. During term time, her daughter gets to sleep in peace in the morning as her son is at playschool. However, now that he is on his school holida ...
This week Arklu (the company that makes Lottie dolls) launched their first Brownie doll and some Brownie accessories to go with her. It’s lovely to see the relationship between the World Associa ...
When I opened my online children’s toy shop nearly 3 years ago now, I was determined not to categorize my toys into gender specific toys. After all, brothers and sisters play with each other’s toys al ...
If you haven’t already figured out, I’m a huge lover of wooden toys. However, as with all things wooden, the wood needs to come from trees and if we don’t act responsibly, our forest ...
Last month my 5-year-old attended a Shopkins themed birthday party and she came home buzzing from it. Although I don’t stock Shopkins, I like posting blogs that parents can get inspiration from ...
Woo Hoo, the summer holidays are nearly here. I love the lazy mornings and not having to rush and get out the door by 8.30am however, by 11am, my kids are getting restless and it’s time to decid ...
Yesterday (the 21st June) was World Music Day so I thought I’d write a short blog highlighting some of the musical instruments I stock for babies and small children. Music is important for all ...
It doesn’t feel like 6 years ago when we were preparing our, then 19 month old, daughter for the arrival of a baby. Time has really flown but I remember those days very well and I received some ...
I can’t believe that Father’s Day is just around the corner again (18th June). It feels like only a few short months ago when I wrote the blog “15 Gifts for Father’s Day that cost less than €15 each” ...
The summer holidays are just around the corner and I know we are all hoping for gorgeous weather, but the reality is that we live in Ireland! This means, that we’ll have more than our fair share ...
My daughters are aged 5 and 7 and they love anything that glitters. My husband, who is in his 40s, however, can’t cope with glitter!! He complains that it goes everywhere and ends up in his food ...
I recently received an e-mail from a customer whose Father in Law wanted to buy some new toys to be kept in their house for when their one and a half year old grand daughter came to visit. My customer ...
Hi Suzie, Its my god daughters Birthday this week and she is heading to America in a couple of weeks, so I wanted to get her some bits and pieces for the plane journey. Would you have any travel games ...
Every year, my sister-in-law hosts an amazing Easter party for all the cousins to get together and have some fun. She is a brilliant event organiser and puts a lot of work and creativity into her part ...
Have you ever played a great trick on someone? I remember, as a young adult acquiring a ‘You’ve been Clamped’ sticker for a car window. Myself and my friends played numerous tricks o ...
Easter is just around the corner now and it’s becoming more common to give gifts, often instead of a chocolate egg but sometimes with one. I’ve put together a little list of some Easter gi ...
We are just back from a trip to Disneyland Paris, so I thought I’d post up some helpful tips we received before leaving and some that we learnt along the way, in case any of you have upcoming tr ...
I think most of us can agree that a lot of children in Ireland have too many toys, my own children included. There is so much choice over what to play with, that they don’t know where to start o ...
A friend of mine, who works as a Speech and Language Therapist, recently suggested that I should write a blog highlighting some of my toys that would encourage language development. I was reluctant at ...
I am just back from a weekend break in Scotland with my husband and two daughters aged 5 and 7. We had a lovely time. Before leaving, I supervised my children packing a small backpack each of activiti ...
I got an e-mail enquiry today looking for ideas for their child’s birthday party. Here’s what it said: Hi Susie, Looking to purchase the Scratch bookmarks again but I see they are out of ...
I regularly get questions regarding shipping/delivery, some of which aren’t answered in my Shipping and Delivery Policy, so I thought I’d address them here today. Why hasn ...
Happy New Year. I hope it’s started well for you all. I’ve had a really lovely start – super relaxing! But, I felt it was time to do some work again and what’s nicer than to re ...
So, today is #GreenThursday and tomorrow will be #BlackFriday. From today (24th November) til Sunday (26th), I’m offering a 10% discount on any orders over €60, with the following terms and cond ...
On the 1st October 2014, I opened the virtual door to my online shop and I haven’t looked back. Tomorrow, I celebrate my little toy shop turning 2 and what a couple of years it has been. In a se ...
I know it’s only September, but already business is picking up as people are starting to spread the Christmas expense over a few months. Irish people spend €8.5 million each day shopping online, ...
Last week our Parish had their annual fair and the theme was Pirates. One aspect of the fair is a fancy dress competition and so we got into the spirit of it and I made pirate costumes for my daughter ...
If you read my previous blog, you’ll know that my youngest daughter turned five last weekend and we celebrated with a small party at home. She got some really lovely gifts and I thought I’ ...
For many people, organising a kid’s birthday party in your own home is a little daunting, so I’ve put together some tips that I’ve learnt to make it easier. I hope you find them usef ...
Every year I add to my Melissa & Doug range of toys and this year is no different. When their catalogue arrives through my letter box in January, I marvel at the lovely toys they make and put toge ...
The summer holidays have just started and already my daughters are looking to watch more television. I’m not sure if it’s the same in your house, do your children need to really be encoura ...
I stock some lovely wooden toys from a German toy company called Legler. Many of my lines have been sold out for some time now but this week, I’m hoping a delivery will arrive to re-stock those ...
In less than 3 weeks, I will move from having 15 hours to do as much work as possible in, to 0 hours to try and achieve the same jobs!! The reason is that school finishes up for the summer. Don’ ...
Father’s Day is coming up (19th June 2016) and so it’s time to put some thought into what to buy your own dad or your child’s father (on their behalf). If you are like me, you have t ...
5 things to keep children happy on a long flight Personally, I love relaxing on airplanes – reading, watching movies and being served by others. Since having kids, this hasn’t happened, as their ...
Following on from last week’s well read Blog, guest blogger and owner of Popzle, Amy Sherwin, has agreed to do a follow-on blog, explaining how Popzle 3D pop-out cards have multiple uses. She wr ...
I am delighted to now be stocking Popzle cards and as I launch them on my website, I asked the owner and creative designer of Popzle to be a guest blogger, explaining how Popzle Activity Cards differ ...
What do I give as a Christening Gift? 5 Ideas for Christening Gifts I’m not sure if you’re like me and you don’t know what is really expected from you when you are invited to a Chris ...
Who are 4M? 4M is a British company that was established in 1993. Since then the company has grown in size and reputation. Known to produce top quality science kits and creative kits for older childre ...
Regularly people ask me about Lottie Dolls, so I thought I’d write a short blog entitled ‘what is a Lottie Doll?’ or ‘Who is Lottie’. I hope this blog will help answer so ...
Here’s 4 simple ways you can help small businesses without spending a cent. 1. Like their facebook business page and invite your friends to like it too. If you are on facebook, it costs nothing ...
As many of you know, my family are big kinetic sand fans and with mid term approaching, I decided to spend a little while looking online for some new ideas of things to do with our kinetic sand. I tho ...
Back in December, two people recommended to me to stock augmented reality 4D+ flashcards. Thankfully the first person showed them to me, otherwise, I wouldn’t have had a clue what they were talk ...
Often people ask me about dolls houses – so being a mother of two ‘doll loving’ girls and owning an online toyshop, I thought I’d take a few moments and write a short blog expl ...
Happy New Year! I hope 2016 is a great one for you. 2015 was my first full year in business and I’m delighted with how it went. Regularly people ask me what are my best selling toys and games, a ...
This week, I’m delighted to have a guest blogger write this blog on ‘sharing a book with your child this Christmas’. Mary Miles is a friend of mine, a mum to two little people and sh ...
About a month ago, a customer sent me an e-mail asking if I would consider stocking Kinetic Sand. I’d heard of it but I’d never seen it first hand, so I decided, before committing to stock ...
On Christmas morning, my daughters love digging into their stockings to see what Santa has left. It’s funny how what he leaves isn’t all that different from what he left me, when I was a k ...
I used to think that Irish people were particularly bad at shopping online until I read an article that said that Irish consumers spend €8.5 million euros online each day! The article, however quoted, ...
I recently spotted this picture on Facebook and it made me think about Halloween Costumes. If you visit my shop, you will see a selection of boy’s Halloween costumes but very few for girls. I r ...
In 2009, I had my first daughter and after my maternity leave ended, I decided that I didn’t want to return to work as a Youth Work Director, so, we tightened our budget and I enjoyed being a SA ...
I know we are just entering October but it’s mad how quickly Christmas creeps up on us (and is pushed upon us). Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of Christmas and the fun and excite ...
I have just placed an order with Melissa and Doug and I’m so excited about them arriving – that I can’t keep it to myself any more! I’ve ordered a few new products to me and I& ...
Last week, I launched my ‘Free Educational Toys and Games for Schools and Pre-Schools’ promotion and I can’t get over how well it has gone down. I’ve had a lot of Montessori te ...
When was the last time you had to buy a 4 year old a gift? Do you struggle to know what to buy and how much to spend? My youngest daughter turned four recently, so I thought I’d write a blog to ...
Over the past five years, I have been part of a team that organises two large Parent and Toddler Groups in Greystones. Over that time, we have seen lots of toys enter our building and leave in black s ...
Recently I brought my daughters to visit a Fairy House that I used to visit as a child. It involved a short trek up a mountain and though a very thin path, but was worth it! When we started our adven ...
I remember waking up on Christmas Day to find a set of doll’s wooden bunk beds at the end of my bed. I was thrilled. My doll (I only remember having one) was called Irene and my sister’s d ...
Well, I’m always a little confused over what month starts summer! Is Summer May, June and July? I really should have googled this before starting to write this blog! Anyway, in my mind, summer h ...
I was browsing through a toy catalogue last week, putting together a new order of toys and I came across a retro toy that flooded me with memories. It was a plastic version of Beetle Drive. My aunt, w ...
GIVE-AWAY! Frozen figures now in stock. Let your little ones recreate scenes from the Frozen movie using these little characters – Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven! They are sold individually ...